Archive for June, 2011

This month we are featuring Lindsey Snyder, who hails from the west side of the mitten and attends Madonna University, where she is studying dietetics and nutrition. Lindsey recently taught a Cooking Matters for Adults EXTRA Parents of Preschoolers where she immediately connected with the participants and put her knowledge to good use. She is signed up to do another class, this time a Cooking Matters for Kids later this month.

Lindsey lives in Farmington Hills and is originally from Hudsonville. Before coming to southeast Michigan, she attended college in Texas (Navarro College, which were the national champs in cheerleading in 2009) and Hawaii Pacific University (national champs in 2010, she must be a good luck charm!).

We caught up with Lindsey last week who took a few minutes to answer some of our burning questions:

Why did you decide to go into nutrition?
I chose the dietetics program because of my interest in nutrition. I have always been interested in health and nutrition, but it wasn’t until my first year of college when I took a nutrition class and took everything from it that I could to lose 20 pounds. Losing the 20 pounds allowed me to broaden my cheerleading career and allowed me to get two years of traveling and scholarships for living and school through cheerleading. In Texas and Hawaii I worked on general education classes and towards a psychology major.

Why did you decide to volunteer for Cooking Matters?
I heard about Cooking Matters classes through the Madonna University Nutrition Network group and it sounded like a great program. I thought I could learn a lot about cooking and help people learn more about nutrition—it shocked me how much people didn’t know!

Is there a moment from our class at Lincoln Park Head Start that sticks out to you in terms of reaching participants?
Two moments really stick out and one would be after a month of Vinny [not seeming interested] he really started to care and ask questions at the grocery store. He made better choices after I explained to him why something was a better choice than another option. Also, when the mom and son [Sherie and Don] started to change little by little what they were eating and the mom tried cooking new things and making them lower in fat.

What are your career plans? What do you envision yourself doing after you graduate from Madonna?
I would like to be a dietitian for athletes-such as being the registered dietitian for a sports team, preferably working at a university. Or possibly a dialysis clinic, because I have chronic kidney dysfunction and will eventually be on the dialysis before receiving a transplant.
After graduating from Madonna I plan to work as an RD where ever I can get hired, and then attend grad school in kineisology or dietetics (depends on work and such).

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I like to work out, play with my two cats, and lay by the pool! I am interested in health, sports, and nature. I really enjoy coaching cheerleading, and gymnastics (I have done that for 7 years). I also still enjoy cheerleading and gymnastics!

Do you like to cook? Can you share your favorite healthy, budget-friendly recipe with us?

I love cooking! I don’t have much room to cook in my one-bedroom apartment, though. I like to freeze things ahead of time and then pull them out to thaw and make. I like to make chicken noodle soup with and vegetables I have.
Also, I like to make wheat pizza dough, here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1t white sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1T active dry yeast
1T olive oil
1t salt
2C whole wheat flour
1 1/2C all purpose flour

Directions
Mix sugar, salt, and warm water (dissolve)- and olive oil.
Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10min.
Then add both flours and mix.
Let rise in covered greased bowl for an hour or until double. I split the dough in half from there and then let it rise again in a covered greased bowl. I wrap them up and freeze them. When I am ready to eat pizza I thaw the dough, roll it out bake it for 10 min at 350, and then add the toppings and bake until done!! It’s actually pretty good for whole wheat crust too!

USDA Statement

This material was partially funded by the State of Michigan with federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by way of the Michigan Nutrition Network at the Michigan Fitness Foundation. This work is supported in part by the Michigan Department of Human Services, under contract number ADMIN-10-99011. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Michigan Fitness Foundation or the Michigan Department of Human Services. In accordance with Federal law and USDA policy, these institutions are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720- 6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more contact the toll free Michigan Food Assistance Program Hotline at (855) ASK-MICH.
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Credit Statement
This material was partially funded by the State of Michigan with federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by way of the Michigan Nutrition Network at the Michigan Fitness Foundation. These institutions are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability. People who need help buying nutritious food for a better diet call the toll free Michigan Food Assistance Program Hotline: (855) ASK-MICH.